


Hard Player

by hardbroken17



Series: Something Special [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: F/M, Ghost Powers, Idiots in Love, Luke and oc, Luke and oc in love, Luke is a Tease to OC, M/M, Minor Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Not Actually Unrequited Love, OC and boys bond, POV Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), POV Original Female Character, Reggie Peters and oc, Slow Burn, Supernatural abilities oc, Unrequited Love, Willie and Alex being cute, but pretends to hate it, in future chapters, she loves it, then major romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28644876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardbroken17/pseuds/hardbroken17
Summary: Mara Pierce is a rock singer songwriter in 1985, touring in Los Angeles.She wakes up to shouting in her hotel, and goes to investigate, what could possibly go wrong?———Fast forward to 2020, and Mara meets the boys of Sunset Curve.Could she be falling for Luke?Could Caleb be trying to steal the boys souls? Does Willie finally have a crush?
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms)/Original Female Character(s), Willie (Julie and The Phantoms) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Something Special [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099202
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first fic for Ao3, but I’ve been writing JATP fics since it came, out, and I have a really good plot for this fic. 
> 
> Hope you like it!❤️

July 24th, 1985, 

It was midnight, and Mara Pierce heard a loud noise, coming from the hotel lobby. She was exhausted from her concert last night, and desperately needed her sleep, but she clambered out of the warm, hotel bed, and out of her hotel room.  
Walking down the hall, and around the corner, Mara entered the lobby, where she could not believe her eyes.  
Mara knew that there were gangs in this part of LA, but what she didn’t know was why they had chosen her hotel, to ambush.  
It all happened within a split second decision, as Mara yelled, and a man turned to her, his eyes blaring into hers. He raised his gun, and smiled a wicked smile at her.  
“Goodbye Mara Pierce.” He said, as he pulled the trigger, and the next thing that Mara saw was a gaping hole through her chest. A tank top, and a fluffy cardigan, were over her top half, and she looked down.  
Another, and then another, both hitting her left side, one, to her right lung, and two into her heart, blood gushing out of her chest, and down the front of her top.  
The singer’s eyes fluttered closed, as she lost her last breath. Mara fell, and was dead before she hit the floor, her blood dripping over her chest, and down her neck, catching in the midnight black waves of her hair. Her legs were buckled under her, and her arms laid limp beside her corpse, as people began to scream. 

The police, and the paramedics came shortly after Mara was shot, and threw a white sheet over her body, not knowing that she was no longer lingering in her former body. Mara floated, beside her body, being lifted into a stretcher, and placed a hand to her chest, where three gunshot wounds were scarred into her skin. She turned around, and floated out of the hotel, and into the night, only to be enveloped in a cold blanket of darkness, of which she couldn’t escape. Mara didn’t know what would happen, but she did know, that she was dead...


	2. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is 2020, and Mara was enjoying her day, when it was ruined by a black dressed blast from the past...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my introduction to Caleb, in this chapter.

Mara never hated summer, instead, she loved it, and would do all she could, go be in the sun when she was alive, and she had a great tan to prove it, if people didn’t believe her. She had gotten out of the attic room, that she lived in, to get some fresh air, before looking for Willie. He promised her that they would meet up at the museum, and she could practice fogging the entire place, without even raising her hands. She was skeptical about this, but it was Willie, and who was she to complain? Mara was walking a long the Walk of Fame, and had her hands stuffed into her pockets, and eyes on the stars, she was walking on. She was so distracted that she walked directly into the last ghost on Earth that she wanted to run into on one of her good days.  
“Well well well, Mara fancy seeing you here.” Caleb said, as Mara looked the older ghost in the eye, his cold, grey eyes staring into her turquoise eyes, as she adjusted her sleeveless hoodie, and put her hands back in the pockets, and shifted her stance, to defensive. She knew what Caleb Covington was capable of, and he realized almost too late, that she was a threat to him, uncontrolled, and out of his grasp.  
“Well I am a free spirit Caleb, unlike all of the other ghosts at your little club.” She said and Caleb smirked, flicking a bit of dust off of his trench coat, and looked back at her.  
“I am aware of that Mara, but I do have the soul of your best friend. Would hate for something to happen to Poor Willie, and have you to blame for his destruction.” Caleb said and Mara’s eyes grew wide as dinner plates, and she began to stutter in fear of losing Willie.  
“No! Willie is innocent! You can’t hurt him Caleb, I’ll play at your club tonight, and you promise to never hurt Willie on my account.” She said and Caleb smiled wickedly at the singer, and held up a hand.  
“Deal.” He said and Mara scoffed, and slapped away Caleb’s hand.  
“Do you really think that I’m dumb enough to shake your hand? I know what you can do to me Covington, and you know what I can do to you. I can fuck you up in your head, so that you destroy yourself. I know what I’m signing up for, you ass, now, I’ll be at the club in two hours.” She said and poofed away, leaving Caleb pissed, that Mara had a strong will.

———

Mara landed in the lower level of Willie’s favorite museum, to skate in. She got comfortable on the bench, until the skater himself turned up, and saw her.  
“Hey Mara, did you just get here?” Willie asked, taking off his helmet, and leaning his board against a sculpture.  
“Yeah, just left the Walk of Fame, less crowed today, than it usually is.” She said, hugging her friend, and leaned back on the wall of the museum, that was closed.  
“Cool, well, are ya going to work on your misty fog?” Willie asked and Mara nodded, the singer standing up, and closing her eyes, willing fog, and mist to flow into the museum, and she concentrated her energy into her feet, and hands, and Willie let out a yell at her, and Mara opened her eyes.  
“You did it Mars!” Willie yelled and Mara had to admit that it was a pretty good batch of fog if she had to say. It was covering the ground, and spreading around the room, as air conditioning, and hiding places.  
“Wow, I’ve gotta admit, I did pretty good on it this time around.” She said and high fives Willie, and watched the skater do tricks in the museum, after the fog cleared away. Mara knew that she was the only ghost that had these abilities besides Caleb, but she didn’t use hers, only playing her guitar at the pier occasionally, and goofing off for Willie, when they went to clubs. She didn’t care what Caleb tried to do to her, or to Willie. The skater had promised the singer, five years ago, when she had first met him, that he would look out for her, and she promised to always look out for him, no matter the cost...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, Caleb is afraid of Mara, and her powers, but what are her powers?
> 
> Mara is a good friend, who loves Willie 
> 
> Also, these two have my heart with their protection pact
> 
> ❤️💕❤️


	3. The Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time for Mara's performance at the Hollywood Ghost Club, and she gets a little surprise before she arrives...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have the club...
> 
> Aaaand, a little peek into what Mara's ghost powers are...

When Mara and Willie left the museum, the two ghosts seemed to migrate to the pier, where Willie abandoned Mara, and went to skate, leaving the raven-haired ghost, sitting on the pier, her legs swinging over the railing, and her eyes looking out over the bay, that matched her eyes. She always felt freedom, when sitting on the pier, or standing on a roof, the wind in her hair, and nothing to stop her, or to hold her back. She felt a different kind of freedom when she had been onstage however, the audience screaming her name, the spotlight, shining down on her, sweat glistening on her face, shoulders, in-between whatever top she was wearing, the music flooding her senses, and making her forget her own name. Before she knew it, Mara was singing, her voice carrying out for miles, around the bay, the beaches and the pier were her vessel, and her voice was her sky. It was like she didn't even know what she was doing before she was above the beautiful Malibu beaches, above the houses of a lot of rich families, like the Wilsons.  
Carrie Wilson was possibly Mara's favorite lifer to pick on, she was the classic mean girl of Los Feliz High School, and the frontwoman of her pop group, that literally looked like really bad hookers in some of their outfits, Dirty Candy. Mara had been following Dirty Candy around the club scene for a few months now, ever since they performed at one of the clubs that she was at, with Willie. She chuckled at the memory of her playing around, onstage, behind Carrie, in her sickening pink outfit, and pink wig, making her best friend laugh, and for a reason that Mara couldn't explain, she just started doing this often, going to whatever club that Dirty Candy was at, and goofing around the group onstage, invisible to all the lifers as she played around, with the girl's wigs, made obscene dance moves around Carrie, and did whatever she could, to have a good time. As Mara stood above the Wilson house, she saw two lifer girls sneak to the security gate, and deciding that today would be a good day to mess with Carrie, Mara wiggled her fingers at the gate, and it clicked open, the lifer girls looking at each other, confused. Mara turned her head, to the house, and heard one girl talk, like she was standing right next to her. 

"Come on, let's go find the guys, before they get into any trouble with Trevor." she said, and Mara raised her eyebrows, and watched the lifer girls run to the front door of the Wilson house. She knew that it wasn't the best idea for her to meddle, but Mara wanted to do it so badly, so she listened in, to what the lifers were saying in the house, leaning over the hill, for better access. 

"-saw your post." she heard a male voice, speak to the two girls, in the den room of the house. 'Oh good, Nick is here today, why won't that asshole dump Carrie already? She's such a bitch to him, and everyone' Mara thought, as she heard Carrie's high, sarcastic voice, and footsteps, of the blonde girl, walking across the den, to the other two lifer girls. 

"-how exiting...-hologram show." Mara heard Carrie say, but for whatever reason, she was losing focus, her hearing wasn't as strong anymore, and she couldn't hear Carrie's full sentence. The ghost stumbled back, and rubbed the side of her ear, confused as to why she was unable to hear Carrie, and Nick's sentences fully, like she was usually able to do, with lifers, and ghosts alike.  
"What the fuck is wrong with my ears today?" Mara asked herself, and re focused on the house, hearing the lifer girls, inside, talking to Carrie, and Nick, in the den, about god knows what.

"Guys! For your sake, you'd better not be up here!" Mara heard the lifer girl, wearing the maroon Los Feliz sweatshirt, who had spoken at the security gate hiss, as she seemed to walk up a set of stairs, while Trevor Wilson was meditating. Mara raised her eyebrows, and focused on listening to the upper levels of the house, and heard Trevor struggling, and running right into a door, and then, Mara heard straining, and laughing, male laughing, but she knew that only Nick and Trevor were in the Wilson house, until she heard a voice, then another, and then another. Three boys gave each other praises, as a petrified Trevor bolted down the stairs, and to the helicopter, that for some reason, he was allowed to park in front of the mansion. 

"Oh quick, let's moon him before he gets to far away!" One of the voices said, the range of the voice, enthusiastic, and bubbly, after Mara heard the all to familiar sounds of three ghosts poofing. 

"He can't see us Reggie." Came another voice, of even range, and Mara detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice, as the other two boys began to unbuckle their belts, and hooked fingers into their pants. 

"Oh it's not for him bro, it's for us." Said the last voice, a small accent in the back, that hit Mara with a jolt to her stomach, and almost caused her to not hear what the boys yelled next. She could hardly handle what she felt, as the jolt to her stomach moved down her body, and began to beat in the middle of her legs, turning them into jelly, and she throbbed in her groin. 

"Wooo, take that Bobby!" They all called, as a door opened, and Mara heard another voice, this time of the lifer girl, and heard her footsteps, walking over to the three boys, pulling up their pants. Mara closed her eyes, and listened to what the lifer was saying to the three ghosts, and judging by the tone of her voice, she was not pleased with what they just did. 

"So, did you guys have fun in there?" She asked, and Mara's eyes were blown wide with realization, and shock at what she was hearing between the lifer, and the three ghosts that she could hardly function. It could also be the fact that the warmth, in her groin was making it hard for Mara to stand up, much less understand why a lifer could see these ghosts, and much less, could interact with them. 

"Ok look, you would do the exact same if he stole all of your songs from you, and recorded them, not giving you an ounce of credit for it." Said the third voice, sending another warm jolt to Mara's groin, making the singer hunch over, and squeeze her eyes closed, as the lifer girl answered the boy, and it was clearly obvious that she had already talked to them about this. 

"Yeah, I know, but you have new songs, here, with me, and the best way to get back at Trevor is for this band to do great, and to do great, we have to play at dances, then clubs..." the lifer girl said, and the third boy finished her sentence for her, shame in his voice, as Mara heard him come closer to her, the other two boys hanging in the back, together. 

"And tours, I know. We're sorry Julie." He said, and ignoring the warmth in her groin, Mara pushed a lock of hair from her face, at the name. 'So the girl's name is Julie. Good to know' she thought, and continued to listen in, and tried to peer over the side, to where Julie was talking to the three ghosts, next to the Wilson's pool, around the other side of the house.

"-don't be late." Julie said, Mara only catching the last part of her sentence to the boys, and she walked away. Mara didn't bother to stick around, and listen to the boys conversation, and poofed away, and landed in the attic room, where she had lived since she became a ghost, and found out that the attic in an old mansion, of an old family didn't have an opening, where the lifers could get in. A safe sanctuary for a ghost, and nobody else could get in, because no ghost besides Willie, knew anything about Mara Pierce, and even Willie hadn't been to her room. She laid down on the photon couch, that she had taken from a Target, in the middle of the night, and touched her stomach, the heat in her legs, beating with her heart, the same heart that hadn't beat in 30 years, since she was shot in her heart, twice and became a ghost, worried why her heat was beating. 

"All of this at just some guy's voice?" She asked herself, and looked at her reflection in her, floor length mirror, her cheeks red, and her pupils dilated, so that it looked like she had just had sex. The only thing that was different from if she had just had sex, was her hair, and the fact that she had somehow been so aroused by the sound of a voice. Mara had her fair share in the 80's, being a rockstar made guys, and girls flock to her, and want her, making Mara end up in some random rooms, with guys she didn't know, next to her, and her libido satisfied, the singer becoming a professional at sneaking out of the rooms, and getting back to her own hotel, or tour bus before sunrise. She even had gone down a fire escape, after a one-night stand in 84, not being her best moment, including a lot more very embarrassing conversations with her manager.  
Mara checked the time on her watch, and sighed, poofing down, to the mansion, and took a shower, thankful that the lifers who lived there were out, and when she got back to her room, she hardly had enough time, to get dressed, before she felt the pull of Caleb's deadline, so that she could be filled in on what she would be performing with the ghost magician. She took one last look in the mirror, before she poofed into the club, and found herself swept up by the makeup, and taken backstage, to get her makeup done. When Mara looked at herself, in the vanity mirror, she smiled at what she saw, not being made up for a performance since she died, the last time, being her concert in the Fox Theater, the night before she died. Her eyes had wonders done to them, her eyeliner was her signature black, and her mascara fanned her lashes, making them look fuller. Soft red, and black eyeshadow was perfectly blended, small red sparkles were at the ends, almost at her temples, with the dark, pale lipstick she wore, her eyebrows were more defined, and a little brow definer was on them, her blush hardly applied, and the foundation fit her skin perfectly, not heavily applied, but just enough to make her know that it was there.  
The staff had even styled her hair, the raven locks curled and pinned to the back, with silver glitter sparkles attached to each lock, that looked like it wasn't even pinned in place at all. Mara knew that the club was big on appearance, but she had no idea that they were this big on it, giving her a manicure, and a pedicure, her nails clear, with white painted at the tips. When Mara was out of the body crazy perfection staff, she was pulled away by the clothing and wardrobe staff, to check her size, and get her color coordinated costume right for her. The one thing that Mara never wanted to do while being at the club, was to look like a complete fool, in a flapper dress from the 1920's, so she watched, and waited as the staff put her in a red dress, and a pair of silver shoes, paired with a classic headband, with red and black feathers attached, and a necklace, with a red stone. 

"Well Mara, don't you look nice? The staff have worked wonders on you my dear." Caleb said, walking into Mara's dressing room, only in his silken robe, and a cup of tea in his hand, stirring it with a spoon. Mara turned around, and looked at Caleb, and faked a smile at the older ghost, standing up on the heels, only wobbling a little bit, after not being used to it after five years of wearing her Chucks. 

"Thank you Caleb. I haven't had a makeover since I died, and for some reason, I'm actually exited to perform again." She said, and leaned against the vanity, her eyes roaming around the posters on the walls. The dressing room had been personalized for the singer, posters of her on her only four tours, album records, magazine covers, a few of her performance clothes and her instruments, an acoustic guitar and a turquoise electric guitar, that matched her eyes. The red keyboard that she used, to start some of her songs was in the middle, a throw couch to the side, and a coffee table in front of it, magazines were on the surface and a glass of water and a bottle, labeled 'Voice Amplifier' was next to it. Mara knew that simping up to Caleb was the best way to make him think that he had taken her soul, so she had to pretend to be nice to him, to end up on his good side. 

"Well then my dear, we have some very special guests tonight, so I would hope that you take your voice pill, so that you know the song, and the performance when we go on in ten minutes." Caleb said, and left her dressing room, Mara seeing a star plaque, with the name, 'Mara Pierce' on it, in gold on the pitch black wooden door to the backstage halls. Mara looked around her dressing room, and her eyes landed on one of her own outfits, the one that she was most famously known for, a leather pair of pants with silver studs on the sides and a red top, that was also leather and hugged her body just right at the bottom, and at the top, where her breasts were, it turned into a leather hoodie, loose and with ties at the neck, a infinity scarf that was dialed down and was sewn into the top, by Mara herself before her first show in Nashville 1983, when she was sixteen. Mara looked at what she was wearing, and then to her own clothes, getting an idea that she could do a mid performance outfit change, even though she wasn't very skilled at this yet. She took her own outfit off of the hook, along with a pair of high heeled boots, with silver buckles on the sides, and black leather laces on the front. 

"Ok this won't be so hard." She said, and laid her own clothes, and the boots on the throw couch, as she heard a loud knock on her dressing room door, and Mara walked to her door, and pulled it open, seeing the made up face and pink jacket suit of Dante, one of the waiters and Caleb's number one in the club, also one of the best dancers in the club. 

"What is it Dante?" She asked the blonde haired dancer, who was holding a clipboard in his hands, and his eyebrows raised at the singer, who was standing in front of him, clearly mad that he was there. 

"Caleb said that the set starts in five minutes, and you need to take your voice pill if you haven't already." He said and Mara nodded her head very slowly at the ghost in front of her. 

"Cool now leave, thanks Dante." She said, and closed her door on him, turning around, and picking up the bottle of pills. She screwed the lid open and tipped a purple and red colored pill into her palm, and re screwed the lid putting the bottle back down on the coffee table, and picking up her glass of water and throwing the pill into the back of her throat. She knew that the pill would activate when she began to sing, and would make it sound like she was singing into a microphone as she moved around the club, singing. Mara left her dressing room, and passed various dancers, until she reached the stage and looked out to the crowd, only seeing a few of the staff walking around the lifers, who were all walking to their tables.  
She didn't know that Willie had shown up until she saw one of the waiters lead him to the table in the front of the club, right in front of the stage. If that wasn't a normal thing for Willie, who Mara knew would usually have his board, and would backboard the stairs for the performance, he was with three other ghosts, who looked so out of place with the 1920's theme of the Hollywood Ghost Club, with their clothes dated in the 90's it looked like. One in a black leather jacket, and ripped black jeans, black combat boots, and his black hair was gelled back, in a way that threatened to turn Mara on. The only blonde one of the group looked adorable in Mara's opinion, sure he was good-looking, floppy blonde locks, that fell into his face and covered his bright blue eyes as they shone brightly in contrast with his tanned skin. He was wearing a pink, or a pale purple shirt under a ripped grey jean jacket, black pants tucked into cute purple, and grey socks, black and grey sneakers on his feet, as he walked next to Willie, clearly anxious, and adorably gay.  
What made Mara love him instantly, even though she had never met him, was the black leather fanny pack that she saw was strapped across one shoulder, and then under his right arm, making him instantly lovable. But it was the last ghost that made Mara's core ache, and desire him. He was brunette and had slightly tanned skin, a pair of beautiful hazel eyes and pale pink lips, soft looking and curled into a small smile, as he and the other three looked around the club in wonder, sitting down at the table, the waiter taking away the plaque card. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the brunette boy, his hair falling around his face in natural waves and was only slightly covering his ears. He was wearing a blue acid-washed denim duster coat, a red lining inside with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms, and a white 'Poison' shirt, with the skull logo on it.  
Mara could tell that he was toned, just by looking at him, that he was toned as she kept staring at him. He wore a pair of black jeans with chains, and a sash tied on one of his belt loops, and he had a pair of black and white checkered Vanns on his feet. She could see a watch on his left wrist, and a yellow, white, and black set of bracelets around his right wrist, two rings of his right hand a plain silver band and another ring with an engraving on the circular middle. Mara hardly spotted a stone on a silver chain, around his neck before she poofed onstage, her back to the audience, and her eyes closed as Caleb floated in the air above her, wearing his performance cloak, and his signature smile. 

"Allow me to show you..." Caleb began to sing, and Mara focused her mind on fog and mist, and it flowed into the club, from the grand staircase and around the singer, as she was the other voice, with Caleb. Mara hated singing at Caleb's club, even though it was her first time, she would be lying to herself if she said that 'Other Side of Hollywood' wasn't a catchy song, and she would enjoy singing it if she wasn't performing with an evil ghost magician, who wanted to own her soul, and have control of her powers. She turned around on the second verse, and waved her hands around her body, being as seductive as she could, which was pretty seductive and the fog she was controlling was moving with her body movements as she stalked towards Willie's table, Caleb floating back to the stage as she locked her eyes on Willie and the other three ghosts. Caleb flicked his hands back, and Mara did a backflip and when she landed, her flapper dress was gone and in it's place was her own outfit and the black boots, with the leather laces.  
She did this just as Caleb made the band and the dancers appear, so that it was a pretty amazing trick that she did a costume change mid backflip, and landed not as a flapper, but as an 80's rockstar. The band went into the first chorus, as Caleb discarded his cloak, and Mara cracked her fog, like it was her own personal whip, a smile on her face, enjoying herself, and the reactions she was getting from not just the audience, who had never seen this before but also Willie who had seen her use her powers over fog, but not like she was doing now. Mara flicked her hair around, as she sidestepped to the boy's table, at the start of the second verse, her hair no longer done like a flapper, but now out and free with the silver glitter still there, but over her shoulders in raven waves that made her look even more seductive as she had been told in interviews when she was alive. She place two hands on the table as waiters went around the table, and made eye contact with the hazel eyed brunette, who was wide eyed, and in awe. Mara pushed the waiters away, as they moved their formations, and in an instant, the table centerpiece was gone, and the singer was holding the middle of the tablecloth, and twisting it around as her fog followed the path that her hands were making, and at the last second she put a foot on the table and pulled the tablecloth up, one of the lap dancers appearing on the table, dancing as Mara leapt back and Caleb went around the back of the table, leaning over the boys as Sasha, the dancer performed on the top of the table.  
Mara smirked at the blonde dancer, who twirled on the table before she leapt off and Mara's hands met hers and she literally slid Sasha down her back, and cracked her fog sheet, as she danced away from Sasha and back to the center of the stage, to continue singing. She came closer to the boy's table, as all of the other dancers appeared on the tables, and a sly smirk spread over her face and she twirled around before giving the boy's a lap dance kind of a hip roll, and gave Willie a high five before she leapt back to the stage, and Caleb twirled her around came back to the boy's table her fog flowing in beat with the music and her voice carrying throughout the entire club, as she sang the lyrics.  
Mara danced around the boy's table, to the routine that Caleb's voice pill had put into her brain, until Caleb was at the front of the stage, and the two Twin flappers were holding a black, silk cloth in front of the older ghost, and Mara stopped her fog, to only float in a sheet around her. The drummer gave a beat, and Mara manipulated her fog, to ripple with it, until Caleb vanished from the stage.  
"Long Live the Dead!" He called, and vanished as the Twins dropped the cloth and Mara cracked her fog sheets, and they vanished as quickly as they had come and the club burst into applause, as Mara bowed and the lights in the club grew bright as lifers got to their feet and clapped, while the ghosts gathered themselves after their performance. Mara ran a hand through her hair, and straightened up from her bow before she felt a familiar pair of arms around her waist, lifting her up, into their arms, and spinning her around. 

"Holy fuck Mars, that was amazing! What did I do to deserve you?" Willie asked, above Mara's high pitched shriek and slapping his shoulder as she pleaded for him to put her down. Willie loosened his grip on his friend and Mara landed on the ground, stumbling a little, and rubbing her head before she smiled at Willie and gave him a fist bump. 

"You pancaked me on the pier." She said and Willie chuckled as Mara notice that he was wearing a suit jacket, a button down, shorts, Vanns, and fire socks, his long brown hair in a bun. 

"Ha ha Mara, but it does seem that is how I make new friends lately." He said, gesturing to the three boys, and even though she knew that Willie was gesturing to the tall, tan, and gay blonde, she decided to poke some fun at her friend and play the oblivious card, which worked very well and would surely get some kind of reaction out of her friend. 

"Wait, did you pancake all of these boys?" She asked and Willie shook his head, and rolled his eyes at her putting his hand on the shoulder of the tall blonde, who Mara could see, was having a gay panic moment. 

"No Mars, this is Alex. I met him a few days ago, and these are his bandmates." He said, looking over to the other two boys, the black haired, leather clad boy, wearing a white shirt under his jacket, and the wavy, messy haired brunette, who made it hard for Mara to stand. The black haired boy, in the leather jacket smiled at her, looking like a golden retriever, and the brunette looked at her with his smile so hardly there, but Mara could see it on his tan face, his hazel eyes so bright, and beautiful, that she could get lost in. 

"Hi, I'm Reggie." The black haired boy said, and shook Mara's hand promptly ignoring her small, soft callouses that were over her fingers from playing her guitar, and sewing her performance clothes, as she noticed his firm callouses, putting together the fact that he was a guitarist, but didn't show the fact that she knew that, and merely shook his hand back, soft, and safe. She smiled back, and when she took her hand away, she hardly had time until she heard the brunette boy's voice, and felt his hand holding hers softly. 

"Luke." He said, and if Mara's legs weren't jelly before, they were now. She held Luke's hand in hers, as she stared into his hazel eyes and her breath was taken away, even though she didn't breath. Luke's voice hit her in her heat, and flowed down to her groin and she began to throb and felt a heartbeat where she shouldn't be feeling a heartbeat. She could feel the callouses on his fingers and they were hard, and firm, but felt soft against hers and the same feeling that she felt when she felt Reggie's callouses came, when she felt Luke's but she liked the fact that Luke was a guitarist more than Reggie. Luke smiled at her, and his smile made Mara's thoughts go to strangest places. 

"Mara Pierce, nice to meet you boys." She said and took her hand out of Luke's as he began to do the same, and Reggie raised his eyebrows at her, and put up a thumb to her face, from where he stood.

"Mara Pierce as in 1985 Hollywood Tragedy, killed by multiple gunshots to her chest on July 24th?" He asked, and Mara nodded her head to the boy, Alex tilting his head to the side before his eyes grew wide, in recognition. 

"Yeah? How did you know that?" She asked and Reggie shrugged his shoulders, as Luke's face also dawned in recognition of Mara as he had probably seen her on one of her album covers.

"My Mom liked your music, and gave me your last album. 'Punk Queen' so I went to the city archives, to avoid my dad one day and found the article about your death, and how they renamed the hotel after your tour." He said, and Mara raised her eyebrows at him and cocked her hip to her side, her fingers to the side of her head two fingers on the side. 

"Really? I had no idea that happened." She said and Luke raised his eyebrows at her. 

"What are you talking about? Did you not know what happened to you after you died?" He asked, but was cut off when Caleb appeared, and smiled at the boys, Mara and Willie instantly on edge. Mara tuned out of the magician's words, and stood next to her friend, and focused on Luke as Caleb gestured for the boys to sit down, and she joined them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mara meets the boys
> 
> Plays around with Carrie, by letting Julie and Flynn into Trevor's house
> 
> She has control over fog, mist, and more
> 
> Look out Luke...


	4. The Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the club, Mara later finds the boys at Eats and Beats. 
> 
> Fluff, Dancing, and fun ensues...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm on a roll this weekend.

Mara didn't see Luke, Alex, Reggie, for the next few days, after what went down at the club, after she told Caleb that he didn't own her soul, after he had bid the boys farewell, before he stamped them, and Mara called him out on it. The raven-haired ghost sat in her room in the mansion, and fiddled with her family ring, remembering what had happened at the club, and how enraged she had become at Caleb, for stamping Luke, Alex, and Reggie, just because they were like her, with powers that Caleb wanted to be in control of.

_**Flashback** _

Mara had just weaseled her way out a conversation with a few lifers about how it felt, when she came back as a ghost and what the 80's were like for her, as these lifers were young, and were born the year that she died. She moved around the crowd, and spotted Caleb, speaking to the boys, who looked like they were leaving the club and going somewhere.

'Good choice you three' Mara thought, as she came closer to the boys, and the older ghost, but her chest clenched when she saw Caleb take each of the boy's hands in his own, and she saw them look down at the stamp that appeared there. Caleb said something that put the boys at ease, and they left, Alex hanging back, and asked Caleb something, to which the ghost nodded his head. Mara was too enraged to listen in, as Alex also left, following Luke, and Reggie up the grand staircase. She was just about to go to Caleb, when she saw Willie get there first, wringing his hands nervously, as he talked to the older ghost, who's cheery look became dark, and sinister. Mara opened her ears, and heard what he said to Willie.

"Of course I do William, but they're too powerful. I need them working for me, and now that Mara has joined the club to protect you, and the when the boys have no choice, but to accept my invitation, they will be the stars of the club." He said, and gave Willie a pat on his cheek, as he spotted Mara across the room, glaring at him, rage in her eyes. The older ghost walked past all of the lifers, and stopped in front of Mara, a wicked smile on his face and the singer cocked her hip at the magician, her face ripe red in rage. 

"What the fuck have you done Covington?" She asked and Caleb faked surprise, placing his hand on his chest and raised his black eyebrows at the raven haired singer, her anger radiating from her body. 

"Whatever do you mean Mara?" He asked and Mara took ahold of Caleb's wrist, and poofed the magician to her dressing room, so that there would be no witnesses when she slapped him clean across the face, her hand leaving a bright pink mark before she stepped away from him, and locked her dressing room door. Caleb looked up, at Mara, holding his jaw in his hand. 

"What the hell Covington? They are just three innocent boys, who have done nothing to deserve what I just saw you do to them! How could you do this, you fucking bastard? Ruining afterlives, and putting unsuspecting ghosts under your control just because you fucking can. Alex is kind, sassy, sweet, and pure. Reggie is thoughtful, sweet, loving, and pure. Luke is..." Mara trailed off, as Caleb stood up straight and smirked at her, his face masked over in anger, pain, and something else, that Mara didn't bother to try placing in an emotion. 

"Someone who makes you horny, aroused, a talented guitarist, who will be the face of my house band when the boys accept my offer and join you onstage for all eternity, and you will have him as your own when that time comes." He said and Mara growled at the magician, and her eyes bore into his cold blue ones as she unleashed her anger, into a manifestation on the magician. Caleb writhed, and fell to the carpet floor of Mara's dressing room, his hands holding his head, trying to get his head free of Mara's influence. The singer focused all she had into this one small pain causing illusion as Caleb twisted, and struggled with the battle of his own mind along with her mind, the singer making one thing clear. 

"You will never take me Covington, and I will never let you get your fucking hands on Alex, Reggie, or Luke as long as I exist and if you fucking try, I will come for you and you will finally know what pain is, because I can give it you." She said, and let the illusion linger in Caleb's head, as she walked to the door of her dressing room, and opened the door.

"One more thing Caleb, I am not your soul and you will need to listen harder to what people say, or you could be cheated out of a contract." She said, and left the magician in her dressing room, writhing in pain as the lingering effects of Mara's pain illusion sent shockwaves through his body and slowly vanished, making him able to stand up. 

_**End of Flashback** _

Mara curled up on her throw couch, and looked out the window of her room, that hardly let in any light, or air, but was enough to make it work. She felt so powerful, standing up to Caleb, and wanted to do something about it, but she wasn't able to find Willie since that night at the club, but she wasn't about to give up on finding him just yet. She rolled onto the floor, and pulled a crop top on, over her bra before she poofed away and landed at the skate park but didn't find Willie, before she tried Justin Bieber's, the pier, the Walk of Fame, the beach, and just anywhere at that point. She walked along the sidewalk, Eats and Beats club and cafe' was to her right, as she saw Willie skating away. 

"Willie, wait!" She called, and poofed away, trying to see where her friend had gone, no noticing that Alex had come out of the cafe' after Willie, and then when he saw her, called after her after she had jumped and poofed away. Mara couldn't find Willie, so she landed on the windowseat of Carrie Wilson's room, and waited for the teen to get home from school, so that she could pick on her. She heard the door close, and Trevor came up the stairs, muttering to himself, and Mara raised her eyebrows in the direction of Trevor's room. He had been in his head ever since the day of the club, when he flew off in his helicopter and ever since, then he had been shut up in his room whenever Mara showed up, to mess with Carrie. 

"Dad? I'm home!" She heard Carrie say a few minutes after Trevor went into her room, and Mara perked up as her main source of entertainment showed up, and threw her bag across the room, and sat on her bed. 

"And he is still shut up in his room. At least he made the call to Eats and Beats, for Dirty Candy to perform tonight." Carrie said, and closed her bedroom door, and picked up her phone, sitting down at her desk. Mara came closer to the blonde, and laid back on her bed, spreading her arms, and relaxing her eyes and breathing evenly and slowly. She actually enjoyed going to Carrie's house after school, it reminded her of going to her cousin Jennifer's house after school if her mom was stoned or her dad was in the middle of fucking one of his girlfriends, or watching a ball game with his friends, and drinking. When she was at Jennifer's house, Mara was able to relax, and it was where she wrote some of her best songs.

Carrie's house was similar to Jennifer's in the way that both houses were quiet, in contrast to Mara's home life, where her parents were loud, and very obnoxious before they got divorced. Mara laid at Carrie's house for a few hours, until Dirty Candy showed up, to practice their routine, and the ghost got bored and left, ending up in a nice neighborhood, where she walked right past a large house, before she heard a voice call to her from the living room window, a young male voice and it was calling her to it, for whatever reason. Mara didn't know why he could see her without her wanting him to, but she decided 'Fuck it' and walked across the lawn, and through the house's front door. She was met with an enthusiastic face of a boy of around 10 or 11 years old, holding a tablet, with the camera rolling as it was pointed at Mara, who chuckled, and pushed the tablet away. 

"You're a ghost?" The boy asked, and Mara nodded her head before the boy let the tablet hang at his side, his bright brown eyes staring up at her in wonder over the fact that he had finally found a ghost. 

"Yep, ever since I learned the hard way that yelling in the middle of a gang shootout, in your hotel lobby wasn't the smartest thing for me to do." She said and the boy's eyes grew wide and he gestured to Mara, to follow him to his bedroom, the ghost following him without hesitation as she didn't know if her being visible was only for this lifer, or others could see her too. She sat in the boy's chair, as he settled on his bed, the camera facing the singer as she made herself comfortable in his room, the door closed. 

"So kid, what do you want to know about me?" She asked, and the boy smiled, and took a picture of her and was amazed that she showed up on his tablet, showing Mara the photo. She nodded, and shrugged her shoulders at the boy, and he turned the tablet back to him, and put a finger to his chin before coming up with his first question of her.

"How long have you been a ghost? When did you die? How did you die? What is your name, and how can I see you?" The boys asked and it took a second for Mara to respond to his questions. She ran through each question in her head before she came up with her answers, and gave the enthusiastic young lifer the answers that he wanted from her. 

"I've been a ghost for 30 years. I died in 1985, and was put into a dark limbo for 25 years, before I was spit out of said limbo in 2015. I was shot in the chest three times, one in the right lung, and two in the heart, and killed by a gang, in the middle of the hotel lobby that I was staying at after my first concert of my Free Fire tour. My name is Mara Pierce, and you can see me because I have a ability to make myself visible to lifers at will." She said, briefly going over her afterlife, and how she died with a lifer that she had never met. 

"Wait, what is a lifer?" The boy asked and Mara smiled, and filled him in as she tossed one of his pencils back and forth in her hands, before putting it back into the pencil holder. 

"It's what ghosts call living people. You for example, are a lifer and I can make myself visible to you whenever I want to, but not a lot of ghosts are capable of doing that, it's pretty rare, and it's not the only thing I can do." She said and the boy raised his eyebrows giddily at her, and clapped his hands as he sat eagerly on the edge of his bed, looking at her. 

"Show me." He said, and Mara obliged, and the room started to fill with mist, and fog, the boy looking around them in awe. Mara smiled, and moved the mist around, so that it spelled her name. The mist faded, and Mara focused on the boy, who suddenly saw that his room was made of candy and chocolate, the illusion so real and lifelike to him. 

"You can make illusions, conjure up sheets of fog, and make yourself visible to lifers? What kind of ghost are you Mara?" He asked and Mara chuckled, throwing her head back in laughter. 

"I have no idea, but I can also be heard by people when I play music, and sing. I was a rockstar in the 80's before I died, and if you want to look me up, just google: '1985, Punk Queen rockstar Mara Pierce shot by gang' she said and the boy grabbed his tablet, and started typing, before he got the article, and looked up at Mara, his eyebrows raised. 

"Killed by three gunshot wounds, to her chest. One to her upper right lung and two into the left clavicle of her heart. Singer dead before she hit the floor says the biopsy results. Mara Pierce buried in Sunset View Cemetery." The boy said and Mara nodded her head towards the photo of a living Mara after the concert, the night of her death. 

"Yep, that looks about right." She said and the boy turned his tablet back to him, and set it down, before he looked back up at Mara, who was suddenly overcome with fear. 

"Can you please not tell your Mom, or your Dad that you found me? I can't let the word get out that lifers can see me." She said and the boy raised his eyebrows at her, and crossed his arms.

"Why Mara?" He asked and Mara shifted uncomfortably in the chair, her hair falling over her shoulders, and into her face before she flicked a stray lock out of her face, and sighed. 

"Because, remember when I said that not a lot of ghosts are able to be visible to lifers? Well another ghost I know can, and he is threatened by me, because I have a will, am smart, and have powers that he can't control. Ever since I left that limbo in 2015, he has been on my tail, trying to own my soul, so that he would be in control of my powers. If word got out that I am visible to lifers, he will know that I am even more of a threat to him." She said and the boy nodded his head, and slumped on his bed, eyes on her. 

"My name is Carlos by the by. Carlos Molina." He said and Mara smiled at him, and stood up from his chair, and stretched, before she walked to the edge of Carlos' room, and turned back to him.

"Nice to meet you Carlos, I'll come back here at some point, but don't hold your breath waiting for me to show up, but right now I have a gig to crash at Eats and Beats. Bye." She said and jumped, poofing away to her room, where she changed her clothes, getting into something good and comfortably roomy, so that she could be stylish, while being comfortable enough, to dance around Carrie, and Dirty Candy onstage like she always did when she found out about a gig that Dirty Candy was doing, unless it was at Los Feliz, then no thank you. She poofed to Eats and Beats, wearing a pair of her Chucks, a pair of white jeans, that went to her calf and rolled up at the ends, and a tight, black shirt, that had roomy sleeves, with a red leather bodice, that met with her black sash, tied into her jean's belt loops, and her hair, tied into a top tail and her eyes lined black, and lips pale. Mara looked around, and saw two lifer girls by the stage, one with her hair in braids, and the other, wearing a turquoise dress, and a black leather vest, her curly hair in a ponytail. They were looking at Carrie, standing onstage, wearing the most provocative outfit Mara had seen her in yet, a pair of pink sunglasses in her hands. 

"Hope you all came to have a good time." She said, and Mara snickered to herself, from where she was, at the bar, her arms crossed, ready to poof onstage, and have her fun.

"You could say that." She said, as Carrie put on her glasses, and turned on her music and stood with her head down and hands on her hips, legs spread apart before she looked up, and began to sing. Mara poofed onto the stage, and began to dance, goofing around Dirty Candy, as they came onstage, to join Carrie, twisting her body, and dancing around the stage. She didn't notice that Luke, Alex, and Reggie were standing next to the lifer girls, until she went to center stage, and did a hair flip, Reggie staring at her in shock, Alex in pride, and Luke in awe. Mara decided then and there not to just have fun with Carrie and Dirty Candy, but to play with the boys also, as she rolled her hips, and winked, before leaping around and into the middle of the stage, gesturing her hands to the beat, and to the song that Carrie was singing, so annoyingly catchy, threatening to get stuck in her head.

Mara saw Alex poof onstage, in shock, and she turned to face him, and shot him a grin, larger than any she had made in awhile, the two ghosts starting to dance together, around Dirty Candy. She and Alex danced together, inbetween the dancers before they circled around each other and Alex poofed off of the stage, leaving Mara still onstage, with Dirty Candy, while the boys began to chew Alex out, for dancing with Mara, but she could tell that it was a fun, teasing kind of making fun of him, as Mara danced. She found herself winking at Luke, from the stage as she went around Carrie and mouthed the words to the song. Alex poofed back onstage after saying something to the boys, and the lifer girl with the ponytail, who could somehow see the boys. He and Mara made eye contact, and began their fun, making weird gestures around Carrie and dancing to the song in time with each other. When the two went behind the line of Dirty Candy, they jumped up, and the group spaced out, and Carrie started dancing running towards them, and turned back around as Mara and Alex went forward and through the girl, both ghosts side by side while the lyrics said: 'I never open cause it's my show, my show,' as the two ghosts came into the spotlight and spun around, Alex going to one side, and Mara to the other, Carrie now in the center with her hand on her chest. 

Mara and Alex went to the lifer, and flicked up her wig into her eyes before going back and spinning around one last time, before the song ended and both ghosts held up their hands, as a grand finale. Mara put her hands down, as Alex danced around in a circle, and smiled at the lifers cheering for Carrie and Dirty Candy, like the cheers were for him. Mara saw him poof back to Luke, Reggie, and the lifer girls, one of them oblivious, and the other one looking at Alex with her eyebrows raised, and a smirk on her face. She walked offstage, and towards Luke, and the others, sweat glistening on her skin, as she walked straight to Luke, who was wearing a black muscle tee, with the sleeves cut off. 

"Hey you. How's it going?" She asked and Luke chuckled, as Mara leaned on his side, her head on his muscular shoulder, her breathing hitched, and hard as she was out of breath from dancing with Dirty Candy. The lifer girl looked at her, with her brown eyes, and Mara winked, knowing that she could see her, and shifted beside Luke, one her feet. 

"I'm Mara Pierce, and you are?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, Mara met Carlos is he going to keep her a secret from Ray?
> 
> Mara can make illusions, fog and mist, and can be visible to lifers at will?
> 
> No wonder Caleb wants her under his control.


End file.
